St Joseph's Chapel

Preparing for the consecration of the Church of St. Joseph in Kuopio

On Saturday May 3rd, 2014, the newly-acquired church in the centre of Kuopio will be consecrated to St. Joseph, becoming the first Catholic Church in modern times in eastern Finland. The great generosity of an anonymous European benefactor made it possible for the Diocese of Helsinki to purchase the Old Church of Männistö from the Lutheran congregation of Kuopio at the end of November 2013. This beautiful church, built in 1912-1913, is an unusual example of Finnish Jugendstil in wood designed by architect Antti Koponen. Work is now in full progress, under the direction of the Diocesan Commission for History and Art (Bishop Teemu Sippo SCJ, Chairman, Santina Ambrosini, Benito Casagrande and Diana Kaley), to make the church suitable for Catholic liturgy.

The Old Church of Männistö in January. In May it will be consecrated St Joseph's Catholic Church, Kuopio.

Much is needed: a new High Altar, an Ambo or pulpit, housing for the Tabernacle, a Baptismal font, Holy Water fonts, kneelers for the benches, Confessionals, candle-holders, Consecration Crosses .... all these are now being made by artisans in Kuopio and Helsinki following designs that reproduce decorative elements in the original church architecture, as deliberated by the Diocesan Commission and carried out by Santina Ambrosini, with, for the Confessionals, Benito Casagrande.

The church before the beginning of the alteration work.

In addition various works of art must be acquired: a Crucifix to be placed over the High Altar, a Via Crucis, paintings and statues, not to mention vestments, censers, chalices, and all that is necessary for liturgical celebrations. As a start, the Parish of St. Henry has donated the painting of St. Joseph that hung in the Cathedral Sanctuary until 1962 (this will be framed and placed behind the High Altar); the Bishop's Residence has donated an elegant brass Tabernacle; various parishes have donated vestments and so forth.

Eventually a short history of the Church and its contents will be prepared, but one gift made to Bishop Teemu for the Diocese has such a special background that it deserves to be told at once.

Trotzdem - Nevertheless

Recently Bishop Teemu Sippo visited friends in Osnabrück, Germany, where he was introduced to a certain Erica Meist, who, after being widowed late in life, had become the second wife of the well-known sculptor Karl Meist. She told the Bishop that among the many works sculpted in wood by her late husband, one in particular had been very precious to him. The nearly life-sized Madonna and Child had taken him over a year to sculpt, and he had always hoped to find a worthy setting for it. His widow now wished to donate the statue to the Diocese of Helsinki for the new Catholic Church in Kuopio. Indeed, there was a second, smaller Madonna and Child sculpted by her husband that she was ready to donate to the Diocese in Finland - again if a worthy place could be found for it! Both gifts were gratefully accepted, and the second statue has found its place in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Chapel in Vaasa.

Erica Meist explained to the Bishop that, as with all his works, Meist had burnt in the word "Trotzdem" - "Nevertheless" - under the beautiful sculpture. Why? The answer lies in his extraordinary life and courageous battles to overcome misfortune.

Karl Meist was born in Dortmund on June 15th, 1911. He trained in Sauerland, receiving his degree as "Friseur-Meister" - Master Hairdresser - in 1935. Then came the Second World War. He was conscripted into the army and sent to the Russian front where in 1941 he was gravely wounded outside Moscow and lost his right arm. This meant finding a new career once the war was over. In 1945 he moved to Osnabrück where he worked with different firms, first as a doorman, then in a technical office. By 1960 he had saved enough money to buy a home and marry the love of his life, but within a year his wife was struck by an incurable illness. He cared for her for eleven years (eight of which she spent on a wheelchair), until her death in 1971. Soon came another blow: a small operation left a septic wound that did not heal for nearly two years, almost incapacitating him. Then one day in 1973 he was sitting on his terrace when the young son of a neighbour came to him with a piece of wood and a sharp knife, asking him to make a sword. How can I, said Meist, when I only have one arm? - Of course you can! , the boy replied, "Sit on the wood and then carve it!"

Karl Meist working on a sculpture.

So at the age of 62 Karl Meist began a new career. He transformed his kitchen into a workshop, created special tools and tables so that he could carve with his left hand, and in the following years made well over 200 sculptures: not only religious figures, but also birds, animals, figures from folklore ... He ordered most of his wood blocks from the forests near Oberammergau, selling a sculpture in order to pay for a new block - so that now his works can be found in countries all over the world.

Madonna and Child by Karl Meist

And under each one of his sculptures, the word "Trotzdem" - "Nevertheless". In an interview given in 1993, the 81-year-old Meist explained:- "I have only five fingers, nevertheless I can carve these things. I have undergone so much suffering over the years, nevertheless I still enjoy life today."

The beautiful wooden sculpture of the Madonna and Child by Karl Meist is already in Kuopio, and will receive a place of honour beside the High Altar. The face of the Madonna is a portrait of his beloved first wife.